Community Justice Assistance Division

How We Distribute Funds

TDCJ-CJAD distributes funds to community supervision and correction departments (CSCDs). The funds are allotted to departments annually by the Texas Legislature and provide about 65 percent of their operating budgets. Additionally, they receive funds by collecting court-ordered fees from offenders, and through support of their local governments, they have office space, equipment and other operational necessaries.

A CSCD applies for funding by submitting a community justice plan (CJP) to TDCJ-CJAD. The CJP outlines a CSCD's existing programs and services and may request funding for new programs and services. As a mandate of the Texas Legislature, the CJP is subject to approval of district judges and a community justice council.

To decide which programs to fund, TDCJ-CJAD considers how well the program will meet offenders' needs and what other funding the departments already receives. CJAD allocates funds over a two-year period according to specific formulae and categories:

Basic Supervision Funds cover the basic operating costs of the CSCD in providing services to offenders, such as employees’ salaries, training, supplies and other essentials. The amount of funding a CSCD receives is determined by the number of direct and pretrial felons and misdemeanant placements.

Community Corrections Program Funds are based on the ratio of felons placed directly on community supervision and the population of the counties in the jurisdiction.

Diversion Program Grants are awarded to select CSCDs for literacy, substance abuse and similar programs that are effective alternatives to incarcerating offenders.

Treatment Alternatives to Incarceration Program Grants (TAIP grants) are awarded to select CSCDs to offer substance abuse screening, assessment, referral and treatment to offenders who do not qualify for or cannot afford any other treatment.